Chef Spotlight -  Scott Gilbert, CEC, AAC, HGT
Corporate Executive Chef - Custom Culinary, Inc.

• Years in the Food Industry: 25+                         
• Residence: Yorkville, IL                         
• Memberships: American Culinary Federation, Research Chefs Association, American Academy of Chefs                       
• Recognition: Inducted into the Honorable Order of the Golden Toque; winner of numerous culinary competitions, including both the Florida State Seafood Challenge and the Florida State Beef Challenge

Q. Where do you get your inspiration?
A. Investigating any and every up-and-coming restaurant concept, including chains 

Q. What's your favorite food?
A. Perfect roast chicken, seasoned, slow-roasted and crispy 

Q. What's the best advice you have ever received? 
A. Build a foundation—understand where food comes from and how it works before you start trying to put your own stamp on it  

Q. What’s always in your pantry?
A. Bases—not just for stock and sauces, but used instead of salt and pepper to boost the flavor of meatloaf, steaks, chicken salad, omelets and other proteins

Scott Gilbert is pumped. After more than 25 years in the business, he’s got himself a brand-new challenge: serving as the corporate culinary liaison between Custom Culinary, Inc. customers and sales staff in the field, and the marketing and R&D departments in the company’s headquarters. It’s all part of the dedication of Custom Culinary® to provide the most authentic culinary flavor systems and solutions to foodservice operators.

“I’m the guy who creates your gold standard and works with the R&D people to get it made,” says Gilbert, who has spent the past ten-and-a-half years in product development. “I also provide support to the sales team and to the executive chefs working in the field to bring a new level of culinary expertise to our accounts.”

Culinary Training
In many ways, Gilbert has spent his entire career preparing for this job. Starting out working for his uncle in a hometown restaurant during high school, Gilbert went on to hotel school at the University of New Hampshire before getting interested in the culinary side of things. He ended up at the Culinary Institute of America, working nights for an off-premise caterer in Hyde Park, NY, to pay the bills. From there it was a series of ever-more demanding jobs in small hotel chains and high-profile independent lodging and resort properties all over the country, where he did everything from pre-opening staff training, to garde manger in high-volume banquet operations. 

Competition
Along the way, he became heavily involved with the American Culinary Federation (ACF), competing in recipe competitions and food challenges that eventually got him to the 1988 Culinary Olympics in Frankfurt. “Cooking at the competitive level is a great way of learning,” he says. “It encourages excellence and an eye for detail that you can’t get anywhere else.”

Teaching
He also became very involved in teaching activities and apprenticeship programs sponsored by both ACF and the Research Chefs Association at various local and national culinary schools, helping to mentor the next generation of working chefs.
Tiring of the nonstop pace and frequent travel of the hotel business, he made the switch to product development in 1994, and began applying the discipline of food science and menu R&D to his background of cooking and running operations. “You need to understand the logistics of operations and what it takes to put food out before you can develop products that meet those needs,” he explains.

Speed-Scratch Solutions
“There’s a tremendous opportunity for speed-scratch solutions in today’s marketplace,” says Gilbert, “whether it’s in a busy healthcare facility feeding doctors, staff, patients, and visitors, or in a five-star resort that’s doing beach box lunches along with $100-a-plate gourmet banquets.”

“We’re helping our customers understand how and when to bring in speed scratch to make money in this business,” he adds.“Speed-scratch solutions can help you execute your menu on a consistent, day-to-day basis. How fun would it be for operators to concentrate on new menu items, on new flavors and ingredients, instead of the execution?”